The present invention relates to a sewage system for a vehicle.
Many types of vehicles, such as recreational vehicles, travel trailers, fifth wheelers, buses, trucks, and the like have self-contained fluid systems, sinks, washing facilities and/or bathrooms. Each of these vehicles and others will be collectively referred to herein as xe2x80x9crecreational vehiclesxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cRVsxe2x80x9d. Such RVs include systems which store sewage and waste water until those materials can be properly disposed of. Typically, RVs generally utilize similar means of conducting waste to external storage tanks, dumps, or processing systems, such as those which are used in RV parks, truck stops, bus stops, and the like. Conventional RVs generally have two holding tanks, a sewage tanks (e.g., black tank) for receiving fluid sewage from the toilet system, and a grey water tank for receiving waste water, such as from the kitchen, bathroom sinks, and shower. These two holding tanks are interconnected to form a single liquid conduit drain line or drain pipe. RVs generally have an accessible external cabinet or storage facility which stores a length of flexible sewage discharge hose or other conduit. This discharge hose or other conduit may be manually connected to a fitting on the outlet stub of the drain pipe. The other end of the hose or other conduit is then extended to a dump fitting. Similarly, when the RV is preparing to move on, it is also necessary to handle the hose or other conduit, and flush the waste from it before storing it. These processes, i.e., dumping the waste from the holding tank into the inlet receptacle of the RV dump station and disconnecting and storing the hose or other conduit, are the messiest and most dreaded aspects of using an RV.
Besides the mess of dealing with the liquid waste problem, the predominate problem with the traditional sewage hose or other conduit system, is that the RV user must get on his or her knees and reach beneath the RV to attach the sewage hose or other conduit to the outlet pipe of the conduit beneath the RV. Consequently, there have been numerous devices which have been developed to increase the ease and/or reduce the clumsiness of attaching and detaching RV sewage hoses or other conduits. Many of such systems include flexible discharge hoses that are stored in a conduit extension member beneath the RV, and are telescopically moved therefrom when it is desired to secure the hose to a dump site. While these systems have their merits, these devices are stored permanently beneath the RV, and they still generally require the RV user to get on his or her knees to reach beneath the RV to access the sewage hose.
Mercer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,959, discloses a system for extending and retracting the waste hose for a waste disposal system that is typically found on recreational vehicles. The disposal system includes a power driven hose extender for extending the collapsible hose from its collapsed mode stored on-board the recreational vehicle to its extended configuration which it is used for dumping waste from an RV holding tank into an inlet of an RV waste dump station. In particular, a hose driver is used to axially displace threaded shafts, wherein an external collar engages around the accordion hose, which has a continuous helical rib.
Mercer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,347, discloses a waste evacuation attachment for a recreational vehicle that includes a rigid cylindrical housing readily mountable to the existing fitting of a sewage discharge outlet of the recreational vehicle. A telescoping hose is contained within the housing and has a fitting on the extendable end to adapt the hose to waste receiving receptacles. The extension and retraction of the hose is by extending and retracting the hose within the housing. Foreman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,349, likewise discloses telescoping hose contained within a housing.
Hanemaayer, U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,262, discloses an axially extendable flexible hose connected to a waste outlet of a tank. An elongated tubular housing is provided within which the flexible hose extends such that the hose can be stored in the housing and also drawn outwardly of the distal end of the housing toward a waste receptacle. The housing has an articulated connection at a proximate end thereof adjacent the waste outlet. The extension and retraction of the hose is by extending and retracting the articulated hose within the housing.
Cook, U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,702, discloses a telescoping drain line for connecting recreational vehicles to a sewage system. The flexible hose extends through the telescoping pipe sections.
Feliz, U.S. Pat. No. 3,811,462; Boomgaarden, U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,003; Leech, U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,183; and Sargent et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,650, likewise disclose telescoping tubular arrangements.
While many of the aforementioned systems provide telescoping tubular arrangements, they still require a substantial amount of effort on the part of the user to discharge the sewage.